𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚎(𝙰𝙲𝙾𝚃𝙰𝚁)

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞-𝖊𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙**

    In the midst of battle, Morrigan had lost Feyre. While Eve had teased her for it, Rhys was in shambles.

    A healer was working on Cassian. He'd gotten sliced up on his stomach, the wound horrific.

   I was stitching up Eve's hand. She'd managed to get sliced pretty badly, but not bad enough to warrant a healer. 

   Azriel was fussing over her, wincing every time she took a harsh breath as the needle pierced her skin.

   After a while, Feyre shoved through flaps of the tent that we were all sitting in, Rhys close behind her. 

"How," Feyre rasped as she took in Cassian's wounds.

"Where were you," Morrigan demanded.

    She was soaked, bloody, and coated in mud. Azriel and Eve were, too. I had the blood of other warriors I had been tending to on me, but it wasn't nearly as bad as my family.

"All done, Eve," I said to Eve quietly as I tied off the last stitch and cut the thread. I lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to it, careful to avoid the wound.

    She loosed a breath of relief. One of Azriel's shadows began swirling around the stitches, almost as fussy as its master.

"Is he--is he going to--" Feyre managed.

"No," the healer said without looking at her. "He'll be sore for a few days, though."

"How," Feyre repeated.

"He wouldnt wait for us," Mor said flatly. "He kept charging—trying to re-form the line. One of their commanders engaged him. He wouldnt turn away. By the time Az got there, he was down."

     Azriels face was stone-cold, even as he held his mate to him, his hazel eyes fixed unrelentingly upon Cassian's knitting wound.

"Where did you go?" Mor rephrased.

"If youre about to fight," the healer said sharply, "take it outside. My patient doesnt need to hear this."

    None of them moved.

"You are, as always, free to go wherever and whenever you wish," Rhys remined his mate. "But what I think Mor is saying is, try to leave a note the next time."

"Im sorry," she said. Mor didnt so much as look at her.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Rhys replied, hand sliding to cup her cheek. "You decided to take things into your own hands, and got us valuable information in the process. But, we have been lucky. Keeping a step ahead—keeping out of Hyberns claws. Even if today  today wasnt so fortunate on the battlefield. But the cynic in me wonders if our luck is about to expire. And I would rather it not end with you."

    The two of them had a silent conversation in their heads. I turned my gaze back to Cassian, a pang in my chest as the sight of him in pain.

    Rhys perched on the foot of the cot as Cassians eyes at last opened, and the general let out a groan of pain.

"Thats what you get," the healer chided. "For stepping in front of a sword. Rest tonight and tomorrow. I know better than to insist on a third day after that, but try not to leap in front of blades anytime soon."

    Cassian just blinked rather dazedly at her before she bowed to Rhys and me and left.

"How bad," he asked, his voice hoarse.

"How bad was your injury," Rhys said mildly, "or how badly did we have our asses kicked?"

     Cassian blinked again. Slowly. As if whatever sedative hed been given still held sway.